The Historical Jesus Reconsidered: Archaeological and Historical Essays on His Life

The Historical Jesus Reconsidered: Archaeological and Historical Essays on His Life presents a fresh exploration of Jesus — Yeshua bar Yosef — through the lens of archaeology and history rather than theology. Written by Elizabeth Legge, a classical archaeologist trained in Julio-Claudian Rome and a scholar of Herodian history, this book situates Jesus within the material realities and political tensions of first-century Judea under Roman rule. Drawing on history, archaeology, textual analysis, and the dynamics of the Herodian dynasty, these essays reconstruct plausible scenarios that illuminate his life, context, and the forces that shaped his fate. This is a living book: additional essays will be added as ongoing research continues, allowing readers to refresh the volume for new material until the project is declared complete. Each essay offers suggestions and reconstructions grounded in evidence, inviting readers to reconsider familiar narratives with fresh eyes. Accessible yet scholarly, The Historical Jesus Reconsidered will appeal to readers interested in biblical archaeology, Roman history, Second Temple Judaism, and the complex interplay of faith and politics in antiquity.